ASTORIA – Francis Derby, the former executive chef of two critically-acclaimed Manhattan restaurants, “Momofuku Ssäm” and “The Cannibal,” has joined Burger Club on 32-02 30th Ave as a consulting chef to refresh its brunch and a la carte offerings this fall.

Chef Francis Derby

Derby, who said he’s been cooking for roughly 25 years, said that he recently pulled out of being in charge of four kitchens in Manhattan and Los Angeles to focus on consulting.

“When you’re running four restaurants you have to step away from that first,” he said in an interview with Eater NY in May.

Burger Club, which opened in the fall of 2011, made a name for itself through its servings of artisanal burgers. It has received two hundred 5-star reviews on Yelp and averages nearly 4.5 stars on Google.

“We are honored and excited to present this new brunch menu to both loyal customers and new residents of Astoria,” a spokesperson for Burger Club said.

“We have brought in a top chef to help us with this — no one is better that we can think of than Chef Derby.”

Some of the new dishes the restaurant will be offering include Avocado Eggs Benedict, and Stuffed French Toast with mascarpone cheese, dates, cinnamon honey and walnuts.

Also new on the menu is Fried Chicken on a Buttermilk Biscuit with soft scrambled eggs, a brand new “Hangover Burger”, kale salad and smoked salmon.

Brunch will be available from 10:30 am – 3:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The NYC Ferry system is set to undergo a significant expansion in coming months, with the Astoria route, connecting the western Queens neighborhood to Wall Street, getting a new stop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard this spring.

A 24-year-old Brooklyn man who crashed his car on the BQE in 2017 and left a 25-year-old Astoria woman inside his burning vehicle to die was sentenced yesterday to four to 12 years in prison, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.